August 17, 2017

Bannon & Boss & The New New Right

In reading clips of interviews with Steve Bannon, one sees why Donald Trump so admires the man. He is as muddle-headed, serpentine and cynical as Trump. Bannon's worldview appears to be purely opportunistic — a kind of pseudointellectualism grounded in nationalistic pablum: e.g., "the economic war with China is everything" — but it's so untethered from coherence that one is left wondering what in hell he is talking about.

Tuesday, as his boss was setting the country on fire, Bannon called The American Prospect's editor, the very progressive Robert Kuttner, in a transparent attempt to form an exceedingly odd political alliance. Flattering Trump had gotten Bannon into a White House job, so he assumed, I gather, that flattery would impress Mr. Kuttner as well. "It’s a great honor to finally track you down. I’ve followed your writing for years and I think you and I are in the same boat when it comes to China. You absolutely nailed it." Alas, Kuttner was not impressed. It is "puzzling," he writes, "that Bannon would phone a writer and editor of a progressive publication … and assume that a possible convergence of views on China trade might somehow paper over the political and moral chasm on white nationalism." Not so puzzling, really, when the caller has the ethics of a signatory of the 1939 Non-Aggresssion Pact.

At any rate, Bannon proceeded in the interview to obscure that on which his reputation rests: "He dismissed the far right as irrelevant and sidestepped his own role in cultivating it," says Kuttner. Or, as Bannon put it: "Ethno-nationalism — it's losers. It's a fringe element. I think the media plays it up too much, and we gotta help crush it, you know, uh, help crush it more." Added Bannon: "These guys are a collection of clowns."

While that is unquestionably true, it is also unquestionable that Bannon would not so label them in any interview with, say, Breitbart. Which does Bannon actually believe? That is anyone's guess. He himself may not know. In the valueless world of political opportunism, one merely says what one must, depending on one'a audience.

Once Bannon had endeavored to enlist Kuttner's help in "crushing" the media's fixation on the right's clownish fringe, he switched to just how one could "crush the Democrats." (The White House strategist is really in to the "crushing" of folks; he also noted that China is "crushing" us.) "The Democrats, the longer they talk about identity politics, I got ’em," said Bannon. "I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats."

In a subsequent interview with the NY Times, Bannon reiterated, "Just give me more [of the left's race-identity politics]. Tear down more statues. Say the revolution is coming. I can’t get enough of it." He then elaborated through twist and invention. "President Trump, by asking, 'Where does this all end' — Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln — connects with the American people about their history, culture and traditions."

Bannon's additive of "Lincoln" was of course meant to gussy up the president's butchering of history. It seems not to have struck Bannon, however, that Lincoln's objective was to end the American "culture and traditions" of human bondage — the Civil War being the nation's ultimate exercise in "race-identity politics." Where will it all end, indeed.

But, what the hell. For Bannon & Boss, American history, culture and traditions are malleable things not to be taken seriously. And if a bit of that old-time national religion — white supremacy — can assist in Bannon & Boss's political objective of "crushing Democrats," so be it, bring it on, this two-man collection of clowns can't get enough of it.

In sum, assessing "the true" Bannon is like nailing sludge to the wall. Yes, it can be done. Aside from the president, he is the superlative dreck of Republican politics — pseudoconservative, pseudointellectual, authentically cynical to the core — and astoundingly mistaken (if he even believes it) as to the future of American politics. For a 38-year-old Oklahoma Republican politician, also in conversation with the NY Times, blew away Bannon & Boss with exceptional ease:

"The last year and especially the last few days have basically erased 15 years of efforts by Republicans to diversify the party. If I tried to sell young people in general but specifically minority groups on the Republican Party today, I’d expect them to laugh me out of the room. How can you not be concerned when the country’s demographics are shifting away from where the Republican Party seems to be shifting now?"

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Bannon & Boss & The New New Right

In reading clips of interviews with Steve Bannon, one sees why Donald Trump so admires the man. He is as muddle-headed, serpentine and cynical as Trump. Bannon's worldview appears to be purely opportunistic — a kind of pseudointellectualism grounded in nationalistic pablum: e.g., "the economic war with China is everything" — but it's so untethered from coherence that one is left wondering what in hell he is talking about.

Tuesday, as his boss was setting the country on fire, Bannon called The American Prospect's editor, the very progressive Robert Kuttner, in a transparent attempt to form an exceedingly odd political alliance. Flattering Trump had gotten Bannon into a White House job, so he assumed, I gather, that flattery would impress Mr. Kuttner as well. "It’s a great honor to finally track you down. I’ve followed your writing for years and I think you and I are in the same boat when it comes to China. You absolutely nailed it." Alas, Kuttner was not impressed. It is "puzzling," he writes, "that Bannon would phone a writer and editor of a progressive publication … and assume that a possible convergence of views on China trade might somehow paper over the political and moral chasm on white nationalism." Not so puzzling, really, when the caller has the ethics of a signatory of the 1939 Non-Aggresssion Pact.

At any rate, Bannon proceeded in the interview to obscure that on which his reputation rests: "He dismissed the far right as irrelevant and sidestepped his own role in cultivating it," says Kuttner. Or, as Bannon put it: "Ethno-nationalism — it's losers. It's a fringe element. I think the media plays it up too much, and we gotta help crush it, you know, uh, help crush it more." Added Bannon: "These guys are a collection of clowns."

While that is unquestionably true, it is also unquestionable that Bannon would not so label them in any interview with, say, Breitbart. Which does Bannon actually believe? That is anyone's guess. He himself may not know. In the valueless world of political opportunism, one merely says what one must, depending on one'a audience.

Once Bannon had endeavored to enlist Kuttner's help in "crushing" the media's fixation on the right's clownish fringe, he switched to just how one could "crush the Democrats." (The White House strategist is really in to the "crushing" of folks; he also noted that China is "crushing" us.) "The Democrats, the longer they talk about identity politics, I got ’em," said Bannon. "I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats."

In a subsequent interview with the NY Times, Bannon reiterated, "Just give me more [of the left's race-identity politics]. Tear down more statues. Say the revolution is coming. I can’t get enough of it." He then elaborated through twist and invention. "President Trump, by asking, 'Where does this all end' — Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln — connects with the American people about their history, culture and traditions."

Bannon's additive of "Lincoln" was of course meant to gussy up the president's butchering of history. It seems not to have struck Bannon, however, that Lincoln's objective was to end the American "culture and traditions" of human bondage — the Civil War being the nation's ultimate exercise in "race-identity politics." Where will it all end, indeed.

But, what the hell. For Bannon & Boss, American history, culture and traditions are malleable things not to be taken seriously. And if a bit of that old-time national religion — white supremacy — can assist in Bannon & Boss's political objective of "crushing Democrats," so be it, bring it on, this two-man collection of clowns can't get enough of it.

In sum, assessing "the true" Bannon is like nailing sludge to the wall. Yes, it can be done. Aside from the president, he is the superlative dreck of Republican politics — pseudoconservative, pseudointellectual, authentically cynical to the core — and astoundingly mistaken (if he even believes it) as to the future of American politics. For a 38-year-old Oklahoma Republican politician, also in conversation with the NY Times, blew away Bannon & Boss with exceptional ease:

"The last year and especially the last few days have basically erased 15 years of efforts by Republicans to diversify the party. If I tried to sell young people in general but specifically minority groups on the Republican Party today, I’d expect them to laugh me out of the room. How can you not be concerned when the country’s demographics are shifting away from where the Republican Party seems to be shifting now?"